Parents are always looking for books that their children can read. When children are at the very beginning stages of learning how to read, Phonics CODE Books, Read and See are “fair” for children who only know how to read long and short vowel words because all the words are as indicated:

Long-Vowel Words

Short-Vowel Words

Long and Short-Vowel Words

and

Long and Short-Vowel Words with Two Syllables

Other books may have big type and pretty pictures, but too many words are exceptions to the skills of decoding long and short vowel words, and they are frustrating for children and parents trying to help their children develop good reading skills.

The super bonus is:

The words in these books can be decoded by

singing the CODE Song from the Hanson Reading Phonics Chart System Chart 3 Audio.

The new, improved and expanded Phonics CODE Books Read and See Books are now available.

They are popular for several reasons:

1) Phonics Skill Assessment

In the back-inside cover of each book is a condensed representation of the HANSON Reading Phonics Charts, so teachers and parents can quickly evaluate their student’s phonics skills and choose the appropriate set of books for successful reading and skill building. The skill assessment is quite unique in beginning readers. Parents particularly appreciate the chart structure of phonics skills because most parents are willing to help their child, but don’t know what to do. This clear phonics structure in the back of each book gives parents the tools to help their child learn and to choose decodable books at their child’s phonics-chart level for a successful reading experience.

2) Quick Comprehension Check:

Not only are these books decodable, they are also the only books that provide immediate comprehension checks without writing. The READ and SEE format of the books is unique. The layout is designed with only the text on the front page (no picture). On the back page, the text is repeated along with the illustration. Thus, even if beginning readers’ writing expression lags behind their reading, parents and teachers can still assess their understanding as they go. No writing—but still an instant comprehension check!

3) Visualization:

The format reinforces the habit for beginning readers of “making a movie in their minds” from the text. In this manner, they are encouraged to form a picture of the setting, characters and action before that mental picture can be influenced by the illustrator’s interpretation.

4) Fluency Practice:

Re-reading the text on the second page builds fluency and provides an additional opportunity to read with expression.

5) Fair Decoding Practice:

This format with only text on the first page helps students to focus on the letters and use their decoding skills, rather than guess from pictures and context.

6) Built-in Reward System:

Students love the reward of seeing the illustration after they have read the READ page. Similarly, after they have read the entire book, they get to look at the final (END) page to discover the culminating picture.

7) Student’s First Choice:

At the beginning stages of learning how to read, children quickly thumb through books to do their assessment. Their goal is to finish a book quickly, and they evaluate their achievement by the number of books they have read. The volume and size of text, number of pages and pictures are a large factor in how children choose books. Phonics CODE Books Read and See Books are students 1st choice – a winner in all categories.

Deciphering the vowel sound in words is the biggest challenge for beginning readers.

There are commonly accepted rules that are wordy and don’t always work. These common phrases are not recommended for consistent decoding of words:

1. Two vowels go walking, the first one does the talking, it makes its long sound.

2. The vowel in a consonant, vowel, consonant word males its short sound.

3. The bossy final-e on the end of a word is silent, but it makes the 1st vowel long.

The excessive wording and interpretation of the common rules are much more difficult than usingthe Hanson Decoding Dialog called the CODE: “A with a vowel after says A”

The common phrases listed above don’t give any direction after memorizing those phrases. Hanson Reading is based on a building system, after you know the CODE, apply and read. In Chart 6 CLUES appear and the student either applies the CODE to a word or applies the CLUES.

All reading systems benefit from the text focus of long and short vowels. However, if students are taught the Hanson Decoding Dialog called the “CODE”, (which appears in the back inside cover of each book) and is applied to the 1st vowel in a syllable, the sound of the vowel is instantly supplied to the student and produces immediate success.

After learning to decode long and short vowels and open syllables in Series I. The success of HANSON Reading Phonics Chart System books continues in Series II. Here, new vowel sounds are introduced that are not long or short. At this stage the vowel sounds are determined by applying the CODE, CLUE or an open syllable sound 1st vowel.

HANSON Reading’s description of CLUE: A Vowel or a vowel that “hides with other letters” and does not obey the CODE.

These CLUES are presented and learned a few at a time (Charts 6-9) with the fun of continuing a vowel hunt and deciphering the vowel sound first.

Beginning at the Chart 6 Level of reading, after the 1st vowel is found, students pause and evaluate the letters directly after the 1st vowel to see if the 1st vowel “hides with” that letter/s and becomes a CLUE. For example: all the vowels “hide with” the letter “r” and change their sounds, so they won’t obey the CODE, as in “her”, “first”, “curl”. “Ur” is the CLUE in the word, curl. Recognizing that CLUE unit of sound helps students decode quickly.

CLUES are mastered, and added to the previous CODE skill sets and are an essential part of the progression of the HANSON Reading Phonics Chart System, which builds upon itself until students have mastered the basics of our English language. In the process, students also lay a foundation for spelling, penmanship, grammar, punctuation and comprehension.

The Phonics CODE Books Read and See Books are the beginning of a confidence in reading and excitement about learning that will build with each book!